


Soulmates

by Imagining_in_the_Margins



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Epiphanies, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, POV Female Character, Self-Insert, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24530326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imagining_in_the_Margins/pseuds/Imagining_in_the_Margins
Summary: Spencer comes to a conclusion during a late night with Reader.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 181





	Soulmates

It was a Friday night like almost any other. Spencer and I sat on the couch in my living room, separated by filler pillows I’d hoarded over the years. Usually, we would quietly catch up on the latest Doctor Who episodes we’d missed thanks to the incredibly rude serial killers. But tonight was one of the rare weeks where we'd managed to stay home for long enough to be caught up, so instead we continued where we'd left off on our rewatch: The Satan Pit.

I had barely taken my eyes off the screen for an hour, but I could vaguely feel Spencer losing focus. Occasionally I would glance over to see he hadn’t been watching the show, and was instead watching my reaction to it. Normally I would have been more self conscious, but I couldn’t care less when the Tenth Doctor commanded my attention!

As I watched Rose jump into his arms, being enveloped by the neon orange jumpsuit, I had to pause the show. Without even looking away, I made an exasperated noise, smacking my hands on my legs crossed on the couch.

“How do people not understand the cinematic masterpiece that is this episode?” I half shouted at Spencer, who knew better than to answer just yet. “Like honestly, did they even watch it? The constant contrast is present in everything! From the colors used in the Doctor’s costume to the swells in the music— how else do you watch it? Do they not see it? Hear it? Feel it?”

This time, Spencer almost started to talk, but I groaned, cutting him off to continue my rant. “I just don’t get it, Spencer.”

He smiled that soft, goofy smile that he always gave when I got too excited. “Everyone loves the episodes by Moffat, but there are so many things that are just… wrong! Like, you expect me to believe that the Doctor, in all his magnificent wisdom, would be more interested in fucking Madame de Pompadoure, rather than her contributions to the political landscape? She ran a war for seven years!”

I unpaused the episode, allowing the credits to continue to roll as I angrily shoved popcorn into my mouth. “I mean, I’m pretty sure she also wouldn’t have been that highly sexualized, considering she couldn’t have sex for the last like, ten years of her life, and regularly helped bringing consorts for her King.” I crossed my arms, watching the screen go black with a sigh.

Quickly, I paused the show once more, “Does he honestly expect me to believe that she was doing that because she was pining over a man who saved her when she was a little kid, rather than her health? I get that it’s supposed to be science fiction, but that's just irresponsible. You know?”

I finally looked over to the man who had been peculiarly quiet throughout my rant. It wasn’t entirely like him to not try to cooperatively overlap with me, or outright try to quiet me so he could actually speak. But in this moment, he looked at me with a look I’d only seen a few times before.

“Sorry, I should shut up—“ I was suddenly interrupted with a quiet but firm phrase that took me so off guard, I barely registered it at all.

“I think you might be my soulmate.”

Silence filled the room as I stared, slack jawed and confused at a way-too-calm Spencer. People so often say butterflies are fluttering in their stomach, but in all honesty mine were exploding. I had yet to take a breath, and I swear my heart stopped.

“… what?” My voice was barely above a whisper. The reality of what he said must have hit him all at once, because as soon as my words hit his ears he sat straight up, a hand over his mouth like he could somehow take the words back.

“U-uh, sorry. Y-you know what, uh, nevermind. Let’s— let’s keep watching.” He scrambled for the remote between us, but I snatched the remote first, throwing it to the other side of the couch without thinking.

“No, tell me what you just said!” My words came out more like a squeak than a command, and I watched as the brilliant Dr. Reid turned 50 shades of red, each progressively darker as the seconds stretched on. “I— I mean, it’s not important.”

“Nuh-uh.” I moved closer to him as he moved away. “That was not nothing.”

I could barely understand the emotions swirling around in my brain, as I somehow became more insecure the longer he denied it, but more excited at his frankly adorable reaction. I wanted to reach out to touch him, but some part of me was still so scared he would reject me.

He stood up, turning around and covering his face with his hands as his thoughts attempted to work their way into words. Finally, he dropped his hands, running one through his hair as he began to pace. Silently I wondered what it would be like to run my hands through his hair just like that.

“I know, I know that there are seven billion people in the world, and at least 3.5 billion of them are women, and some 2 billion of those are within the age group that I would romantically compatible with. I know that 41% of first marriages in the US end in divorce, and I’m sure most of those people got married fully expecting that their spouse was their soulmate. Hell, the average man will average 10 sexual partners in their lifetime, and 6 relationships before they meet their ideal partner—“

I watched him pace back and forth, hardly looking at me as he spoke. I was following as closely as I could, trying to find his next line before he could finish it. I wanted to hear every thought running through his mind in this moment. I knew they were important.

“A-and that’s not me. Only 88% of men actually believe in true love, and for a while I was convinced that someone like me would never find that.”

My heart ached for him as he slowed down, finally looking at me as he caught his breath. Discarding the blanket on my lap, I moved to close the gap he was creating between us. I rested a hand on his arms crossed protectively between us, choosing to leave them there for the time being. He was trying to protect himself, and I was scared that any intrusion might stop him altogether.

“The chances of me meeting my soulmate this early, and for it to be you, are infinitesimal. But I just, I look at you and I can’t help but think you might be my… soulmate.” The way his eyes darted across my face, like he was trying to read me and memorize me all at once, I wondered what he saw. Because all I could see was the stupid, brilliant man I had slowly fallen in love with over the years.

“But you’re also my best friend. And I-I didn’t want to say anything because I was scared if I’m… If I’m wrong, then…”

There was a long pause between us, and I watched him carefully as I tried think of what to say. I slid my hand up to his chest, placing it over his heart to feel his heartbeat. It thundered wildly, and mine was clearly trying to catch up.

“Then kiss me.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Spencer looked confused, and with a tiny laugh he asked, “Why?” It hit me in that moment; he had spent so long learning about all the ways romance could go wrong, he’d neglected an entire portion of research.

“Oxford University had a study where they found that a kiss transmits so much information about a potential partner, it alters the way we view them after. Over one half of women and men were no longer attracted to their crush after they kissed them.” My voice was shaking, and I tried to convince myself it was because of excitement rather than nerves.

“And I know it stirs up all sorts of hormones and it might make things really awkward or confusing but I just— I think you should kiss me.” In some paradoxical way, I felt our heartbeats calm at the thought. Perhaps it was knowing that we would finally have some semblance of an answer, and science could back the way we feel. I suppose I should have been scared one of us would feel it and the other wouldn't; but I wasn’t.

I don’t think he was, either, because after another couple of fleeting heartbeats he responded, “… Okay.”

I’m not sure which one of us closed the gap. Maybe it was both of us, already attuned to the other. The kiss was initially hesitant, soft, and chaste. His lips were so soft and warm I honestly thought I would melt underneath them. Instantaneously I felt the burning desire to feel them all over me.

When we broke apart, his breath fanned gently across my face. It might have been selfish, but I wasn’t ready for the moment to end. Both of my hands moved on their own, slipping into his long, wavy brown locks.

The kiss was meant to say the things I hadn’t. I poured all the pent up desire and affectionate words into this moment. My body was buzzing with the energy I wanted to give to him. Could he feel it?

Spencer seemed not to mind, as his hands covered my hips and pulled my body flush against his. The small gasp I released at the amount of force used must have been what he was after, since his devilish tongue quickly slipped its way over my bottom lip.

I returned the favor in kind, feeling the tension between us somehow build and break at the same time. I knew that once this kiss ended I would be even more hopelessly in love with him.

Maybe he heard my thoughts. Maybe that’s why he slowed down the kiss. My hands untangled from the mess of hair my ministrations had left behind and rested on his shoulders. I was clinging to him for dear life, and our hot, heavy breaths filled the space between us while we tried to catch our own.

I was the first to speak. “D-did you… did you feel anything?” He gave a calm and confident answer, which I appreciated for its simplicity. “Yes.”

“Did… you?” He asked with significantly less confidence. I wanted to smile to reassure him, but my brain felt like it had been scrambled. The only thing running through my thoughts was when I would be able to kiss him again.

“Yes, I…” I spoke without thinking, “I think you might be right about that soulmate thing.”

The smile he gave me in response was a gift I would treasure for the rest of my life. The hotness of my body cooled to a warm contentedness.

“Do you want to try it again?” He asked. I answered in the affirmative, but no words were necessary.


End file.
